Weekly Poker Roundup: June 12 2015

It’s the end of the second week of June 2015 and to get you caught up on the key news in the world of poker for said week, we present to you, the Weekly Poker Roundup:

Phil Hellmuth Wins 14th WSOP Bracelet

The “Poker Brat” may rub some people the wrong way, but there is no disputing his live tournament greatness. On Monday, Phil Hellmuth earned his 14thcareer World Series of Poker bracelet, winning the $10,000 Razz Championship. Hellmuth now has four more gold bracelets than his closest competition, the trio of Phil Ivey, Doyle Brunson, and Johnny Chan. He also has 109 lifetime cashes at the WSOP, 20 more than Erik Seidel, and has nearly $12.8 million in career earnings at the WSOP alone.

This was just his second World Series win in a poker discipline other than Hold’em; his first came in the 2012 $2,500 Razz event.

SB 900 Introduced in Pennsylvania

A group of Republican State Senators introduced SB 900, a bill which would create a legal, regulated online gambling regime in Pennsylvania. This is the first bill in the Senate to address online gaming. The internet gambling section is one of several general gambling issues presented in the bill. To be eligible to apply for a license, operators must currently be licensed to operate slot machines in Pennsylvania and have a Category 1 or 2 slot machine license. Gaming equipment such as servers must be located on the premises of the licensee’s brick-and-mortar casino.

Customers must be at least 21-years old to play and, like in the states where online gambling is already legal, must be located within the Commonwealth’s borders. One item that might be a sticky point for potential customers is that accounts need to be opened in person at the site’s related casino. Exceptions are made in the bill, though, for people who are more than 20 miles away from a physical location.

There is no “bad actor” clause in the bill.

MPN to Allow Screen Name Changes

MPN, also known as the Microgaming Poker Network, announced that it plans to implement an “alias change” feature for its member poker rooms next month. The goal of the measure is to thwart “parasitic players from ruthlessly pursuing weaker players.” Basically, it will allow players to hide their identities from stronger players who track them throughout the tables.

MPN will permit players to have one free screen name change right away, but after that, players will need to wait for 30 days or play 1,000 real money hands before the next change, whichever milestone comes sooner.

NJ DGE Director Goes Easy on Affiliates

New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) Director David Rebuck issued a Director’s Advisory Bulletin to address the issue of online gambling affiliates courting the state’s residents for unlicensed sites. Online gambling, including poker, is currently legal in New Jersey, but only on sites that are licensed by the state. It is against the law for affiliates to promote unlicensed sites to New Jersey residents. In the Bulletin, Rebuck said that if affiliates who are currently doing so stop within 150 days of his notice, no legal action will be taken against them. They will also not have their past actions counted against them during future licensing opportunities.